Intro

[turbomangt]

I would like to re-introduce myself and inform you all that I will be posting here form time to time. I joined the group because I love the 300c and I feel I could contribute to the detailing forum. I own Perfect Auto Finish and I started a concept in the Chicago area that is unique. Detailing clinics to the public. I mentioned in a earier post that if you had enough interest I would host a clinic at my shop in Roselle (free). I work on many exotic and luxury cars (see the Bentely I posted today) and I detailed 6 cars entered in the world of wheels. I write for sevweral professional magazines, and my clinics have been on cable TV. I sell professional supplies at wholesale (www.perfectautofinish.com) and found that people have great interest in propfessional grade. tired of buying over the counter retail stuff. If you have any qestions that need answers quick I would suggest my e mail through my web site. otherwise I will stop here every so often. p.s. I'm in the Mopar family, I own a show car PT Turbo Cruiser that won top ten honors at the Chrysler block party in Sept. Hope to meet you all soon. Gary

[BMWhat?]

Gary, I read about your business in some detailing trade magazines. I've been wanting to get into the detailing business and I had the idea of catering to high-line vehicles and have car care clinics as well as having my own line of products. Then I read you were doing the same thing and were successful at it. I felt redeemed, that my business plan was some proven concepts behind it. Unfortunately, I make a damn good living as National Sales Manager for an electronic manufacturer and I'd have to detail a boat load of vehicles before my salary would be the same. The risk is too much for me.

Have you ever though of broadcasting images of your shop on your web site with an IP Camera?

[turbomangt]

BWwhat, thanks for the reply. Detailing is a labor of love for me. I share your thoughts on the money side. I'm 53 years old and prior to opening Perfect Auto Finish I was a sales manager of a fortune 500 company, when we went public in came my meal ticket. At that point I could of retired, but since I was an active hobbiest detailer, I decided to follow my dream. I got involved in some intense training and traveled where I needed to in order to be the best detailer I could. I followed my heart not the pocket book and to this day I detail only one car a day. Money is NOT my motivator. I work on high end cars, yes, but I turn no one down. My detailing seminars are gaining popularity all across the nation. Plus I found a market base for selling professional supplies that NO -ONE else does. This equals success to me. I write for trade magazines and tell others how to follow my footsteps. If you are making big bucks now, detailing will not compensate you. I detailed 9 cars that were in Chicago World of Wheels. the guys that want the best come to me, That is my motivator. If I can help, hit me on my web site. Gary

[mikes]

Welcome to the site and I look forward to your input.

[Gav@lynchchrysler]

hey gary,

i thought i might drop in and add some input here and there.

[Lik2race]

Originally Posted by turbomangt

I own Perfect Auto Finish and I started a concept in the Chicago area that is unique. I sell professional supplies at wholesale (www.perfectautofinish.com) and found that people have great interest in propfessional grade. tired of buying over the counter retail stuff. Hope to meet you all soon. Gary

I ordered Gary's Pro Paint Sealant,and his Pro Spray,very reasonable I might add.
Upon receiving the products,got busy on my "C".
Followed directions,washed and dried the car-applied the paint sealer-
easy on,easy off;seemed almost too easy.
The car looked great.
Waited till the next day,applied second coat of the sealant-
paint looks so deep,like a pool of water-Just My Opinion !
I have used Zymol for years in the past,and was totally satisfied,but now I think I have found something better.
Sorry I do not have a digital camera for pictures- - I know someone's gonna ask.
This is an unsolicited endorsement of what "I THINK" is a very good product.
You guys can decide for yourselves.
Thanks

[turbomangt]

Lik2race, It's too bad that most weekend warriors don't have access to professional products (until now) You can tell the difference in application and performance immediatley. Here are some reasons I got from the companies themselves on why they won't sell retail. One, they would rather pack in bulk containers, 5-55 gallons. Two, since the variety of the pro line is extensive, they have no interest in manning a 24 hour hot line handling consumer questions. I think its ridiculous myself, but that's from the horses mouth. since I focus on consumer education (with my clinincs etc,) its a natural transition to make what I use in my shop available to everyone.
No reason you should pay more either, most high end products are less money than retail brands. Here is a good example, Zymol was mentioned here so I will use that one. They market car wax from $10.00 - $1,329 for an 8oz bottle. Yes, some of there waxes are over $1,000 !!!!!!!These guys want you to think the more you spend, the better it is. That's the mentality. Guess what, its working, they are selling lots of this stuff. Too bad the ones buying it are uneducated. The more people I can reach about buying wisely, the better I feel about what I'm doing. Gary

[turbohips]

Gary,
Too bad you live so far away. This weekend we are having our 300 club meet and the Zymol people are showing up. I'd love to see the difference between the two products. I look forward to comparing for myself and spreading the word on my results.

[Simon Templar]

Yes....that would be interesting to see indeed.

I just took delivery of my silver C AWD three days ago. As seems to be the habit of dealers these days, they neither cleaned it nor waxed it prior to delivery.

I do not claim to be an expert at such things. I am undoubtedly, as Gary puts it, completely 'uneducated'. However, I have used Zymol products for something like the past ten years and I have been completely satisfied with them. No, I don't buy their kilobuck concoctions...but what I do buy seems to work well. This is not meant to be argumentative....merely a statement of fact.

All of this said, I am always open to somethng that might work better than what I have been using. I would be very interested in seeing a side-by-side comparison, or even double-blind testing, of sealants-vs-waxes.


....sT

[turbomangt]

I love talking about this stuff. I can't take all the credit of my line of products, I private label for several professional detailing supply companies that are not available to the public. as far as side by side comparison it has already been done. go to www.gurureports.org this is a panel of professionals in the industry with no ties to any company, the bottom line is the Synthetics dominated over ALL brands/types of wax. Here is a tid bit of info you will find interesting. Zymol has been mentioned several times here. One day I did some detective work wondering how a company could sell jars of wax from $9.00 all the way to $1,300.00. Did you know the Blue bottle of Zymol cleaner wax that you see in K Mart and Walmart for 9 bucks? Guess what? The address on that bottle is Turtle Wax headquarters in Chicago. Its completely legal, but the end result is the consumer thinks they are buying one thing, but they get something else. Gary